Sense And Seduction
by BelovedShadow
Summary: Shikamaru is a little out of sorts when Asuma dies, but luckily Sasuke Uchiha understands loss as much as he does and is ready and willing to help his new friend deal with the pain. SasuShika Yaoi,, don't like don't read
1. Chess

**Disclaimer: I'm waiting on an order of polyjuice potion, which hopefully will transform me into Masashi Kishimoto, until then, I do not own the characters or setting or Naruto.**

**A/N: Sooooo….. since I'll already be working on a new ItaSasu (The sequel to Playing With Fire: Fire And Ice) And the second place winner on the poll so far is SasuShika... This is a SasuShika! YAAAYY! Happy strategic smex! So this is the first chappie, check it out! xD**

"So how do you like this game so far?"

"It's okay. But, I still prefer Go."

"That's understandable. I think I can beat you at this though."

Shikamaru smirked.

"I doubt that. I'm starting to get the hang of it. You might win this one round, but I think I'll beat you next time, and surely every time after that."

Asuma smiled.

"We'll see about that. I've been meaning to talk to you about something… I was kind of hoping that this would be a good opportunity."

"It's your turn."

Asuma moved his piece a single space forward.

"Check."

Shikamaru smiled devilishly and took his turn.

"Check mate."

Asuma stared at the board in shock for a couple seconds in awe, and then smiled.

"I've been surpassed by my pupil again."

"I'll reset the board while you talk."

"What?"

"You said you wanted to talk to me, right?"

"Oh, yes. I did, I didn't know you had heard."

"Are you going to talk, or not?"

"Yes. Well, I'm going on a very dangerous mission tomorrow."

"You want me to join you?"

"No, I just need you to be prepared for all possibilities. You do understand that I probably won't be coming back, don't you?"

"Of course I do. Isn't that always a possibility? Death can come at any time."

"I'll be up against Orochimaru, and possibly Akatsuki."

Shikamaru got still.

"Why?"

"Lady Tsunade wants me to assist squad seven in getting Sasuke back. They know for sure where he is this time, and no one wants it to be another slip up on Kakashi's part. So they're having me go along as back up."

"Where do the Akatsuki come in?"

"Sasuke has been spotted a lot recently with a member of the Akatsuki."

"Which one?"

"We can't tell. He wears a mask."

Shikamaru sighed.

"Sounds troublesome."

Asuma laughed.

"For once, that statement is actually accurate, not just some declaration of boredom."

"Whatever. The whole thing is a drag. Just make sure I'm the first to know how it went when you get back."

"_If _I get back."

"White goes first."

Asuma frowned. The young man was apparently ignoring the possibility of his death. But he moved his piece anyway. Determined to win.

**XxBxExLxOxVxExDxX**

It had been a week since Asuma left, and Shikamaru was actually starting to get a little worried. He tried to ignore it, but it was of no use. He finally just cracked and asked the Hokage if he could go and meet up with them to make sure that everyone was okay, but she said it was too late. He should have asked to go with them when they were leaving; it was too risky for her to send him alone to the Sound village.

A few weeks later Pakkun returned. Tsunade called Shikamaru to her office. At first he was upset by this, since the summon came around five in the morning, but when he remembered that it might be valuable news, he shot out of bed and got to the Hokage's office at a uncharacteristically fast pace.

"Shikamaru, I'm glad you came. I'll let you know right now, that there's no easy way to tell you this, but it has to be said."

"I'm a big boy; I think I can handle it."

"Asuma left you this."

"…left?" Shikamaru choked out. He wasn't going to allow himself to cry. Tsunade was probably just being dramatic. Asuma couldn't _die _that wasn't possible. He wasn't permitted to die. That couldn't really have happened. She must mean that he forgot it here, and she wanted him to take care of it.

"Shikamaru, Shikamaru! Have you heard anything that I just said?"

"What?"

"I'll take that as a no. The point is, Asuma's dead."

"Asuma's… dead?"

"Yes. And he left you his lighter."

Shikamaru held out his hand and grasped the lighter. His face didn't show any emotion. It wouldn't for a while. He walked slowly out of the Hokage's office, and back to his house. He didn't say anything to his probing father when he asked what happened. His dad probably assumed it wasn't anything too serious anyway due to the lack of emotion on his son's face.

About two weeks after that everyone else returned with Sasuke. In a way Shikamaru resented him. He blamed him for Asuma's death. But at the same time, he wasn't able to hate Sasuke consistently, because he wasn't willing to even think of Asuma most of the time. They said his body was too destroyed to bring home. He had been blown to pieces by a paper bomb, after having a snake consume the better half of his left arm.

And Sasuke was just as cocky as usual. As it turns out, he had changed his mind about killing Itachi, and was on his way home in the first place. This upset Shikamaru very much, seeing as this whole mission was a complete waste of time in the first place, and it had still resulted in death.

He was currently sitting on his porch playing himself at chess. He couldn't bring himself to play anything else before he was sure that he had completely mastered the last game his beloved sensei had been trying to teach him right before his death.

"Hey,"

Shikamaru looked up lazily at whoever was disturbing his peace. It was the Uchiha brat, and he had a cocky smirk.

"What do you want?"

"You think it's my fault that your friend died."

"What?"

"You do. Don't you?"

Shikamaru ignored his unwanted guest and continued to play himself at chess.

"The pawn can move two spaces the first time you move it."

"Huh?"

"You're playing chess, right?"

"Yes." Shikamaru hissed.

"The pawn can move farther than that. You could win in three moves."

Shikamaru just stared at the raven-haired boy before him. First he killed Asuma, now he was trying to replace him? No… It wasn't really like that was it? Sasuke was just trying to help. He didn't even have any way of knowing that Asuma had taught Shikamaru chess. The strategist was a lot more interested in how he could win in three moves.

"How?"

"Should I take the place of the winning side and show you?"

Shikamaru shrugged. "Sure."

Sasuke won. In two moves.

"How did you just do that?"

"Because I moved the pawn up two spaces instead of one, see?"

Shikamaru studied their games over and over again. Sasuke kept winning. He couldn't understand how he could really lose to such a jerk. Then something hit him.

"Hey! Are you using your sharingon to predict my next move?"

Sasuke smirked.

"I could, but no. I don't have to, you're easy to beat anyway."

"No I'm not! Asuma was never able to beat me!" Shikamaru froze. He hadn't been put in a position to remember the man in a while, and it was completely unexpected. He looked at Sasuke, who was giving him a confused stare. And then he ran. He didn't know why, but he needed to get away.

Get away from himself, get away from Sasuke, get away from all the memories that he wasn't ready to face yet. He didn't know where he was going to run to, but he had to get away from this place.

Sasuke stared into the distance as the boy ran. He ran right down the street away from his own home, straight out of the village. Sasuke still probably couldn't tell you why, but he got up and followed. As he trailed silently behind the man, he realized that he didn't really care where they were going.

He understood the pain in those eyes more than he would openly admit, and until it was gone, he would follow the strategist anywhere.

**A/N: So how have I done so far? I know it's quite short, but let me know how you are liking it please with a review. It would also be greatly appreciated if you were to take my poll! xD**

**I love all the readers!**

**-Beloved**


	2. In Your Eyes

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of these extra smexy characters! Or the somewhat mediocre setting! They belongs to the Kishi and the Kishi is not me!**

**A/N: Here goes another chappie! I did some research [fic reading] for this pairing, and I must say I was not entirely impressed. They're a lot less popular than I thought they would be. Anywho, I've decided to make a one-shot with this pairing later, because there simply aren't enough good ones right now.**

**Enjoy!**

Sasuke didn't know how long he had been following Shikamaru. They had gone through the woods and seemed to already be a significant distance away from Konoha.

"If you don't mind my asking, where are we going?"

"_We _aren't going anywhere. And _I'm _not exactly sure where _I'm _going. So you might as well just stop following me."

Sasuke chuckled lightly.

"I'm pretty sure that we just went over this an hour ago, but I guess I'll repeat myself. I'm not leaving you."

"Why?"

"How about I answer your questions when you answer mine."

"Tch. Fine. Then I guess we just won't talk."

"Hn."

They continued jumping silently, and Shikamaru started to notice Sasuke getting a bit tenser.

"What's your problem?"

"Huh? Oh, I was just thinking about something, that's all."

"Well, are you going to share, because every step we take, you're acting more and more like there's something up your arse."

Sasuke smirked.

"There's nothing up my arse at the moment, I assure you. I'm just a little unsettled because we're about a hundred feet away from Akatsuki headquarters, and I doubt that they'll let us pass without trouble."

They stopped abruptly as Shikamaru froze. "Why didn't you say that earlier?"

"You didn't ask."

Shikamaru just decided to ignore Sasuke's smart ass comment. He crouched on the ground and folded his hands neatly into his signature thinking pose. The Uchiha just looked at him questioningly.

"Stop looking at me like that."

"How can-"

"I can _feel _it. Just leave me in peace so that I can figure out a way to get myself out of this mess."

"Good luck with _that_." Sasuke said with a sarcastic tone. Shikamaru sighed.

"Okay, so what important information are you withholding this time?"

"We're already surrounded."

Shikamaru just nodded his head and went back into his thinking pose. Sasuke was impressed. The man's ability to keep his emotions at bay during such a sticky situation was remarkable.

"Are they likely to attack?"

"Hum?" Sasuke asked having been caught up in his thoughts.

"Two of them are related to you, right?"

"Yes."

"Are they likely to attack?"

"Of course they are."

"I know they'll attack me, but will they attack _you._"

"Just in case you didn't notice, we Uchiha's aren't exactly the picnicking type. Our family activities usually go more along the lines of murdering each other mercilessly and gouging each other's eyes out."

"Thanks. I'll keep that in mind."

"Uh-Huh. Hey, I say we just go back to Konoha, they'll probably leave you alone if you just turn around and go home."

"What about you?"

"What _about _me? You don't care anyway."

"That's true. But just for curiosity's sake, and because Naruto will freak out if you die, just answer the question."

"Best case scenario, they'll just let me go with you. Worst case scenario, Itachi's in a foul mood and decides to give me a good beating. Most likely scenario, they'll detain me for questioning, and let me go in a few days."

Shikamaru nodded his head half-heartedly. Then looked up sharply as the Akatsuki made themselves visible. It was easy for the strategist to tell which one was Sasuke's brother. He hadn't the slightest idea who the uncle was though.

"Orokanaru Otouto Yo. We have an agreement, remember?" The younger Uchiha frowned at his brother's words.

"Since when does a promise made by you hold any weight?" Itachi's mouth was pretty much all the way covered in his Akatsuki cloak, but judging by his eyes, Shikamaru inferred that he was smirking.

"No matter. Your friend can go. You stay." Tobi interrupted. Shikamaru judged by the voice that this was the third Uchiha. But that didn't really matter, did it? He didn't care what happened to Sasuke, right? He had his pass to leave. So why the hell was he still standing here? He looked at the man standing next to him, but there was no answer in those obsidian orbs, just curiosity.

"You do realize, that _you're_ the friend they're saying can _leave_… right?"

"Yeah."

Sasuke's smirk was so broad that he looked like the single worn 'yeah' was the most amusing thing he had ever heard.

"Ahh… Is someone starting to like having me around?"

"No!"

"Is someone a little worried about me?"

"No!"

"Then why is _someone _still here?"

The guy that was clearly Sasuke's brother raised his eyebrows with mild interest, then it seemed to pass. He turned to the one in the mask, who was clearly in charge of this situation, as if to ask what they should do next.

"Itachi," The masked man said.

"Dispose of the stranger. I don't need it here reporting information back to Konoha. Either make it go away, or kill it."

"Hn." The man who had now been identified as Itachi unzipped the top portion of his cloak from the inside, using his hand. That's when Shikamaru noticed. He felt stupid for not seeing it before. Sharingon eyes. They had been like that the whole time. This wasn't some guy named Itachi Uchiha. This was _the _Itachi Uchiha. The one who wiped out his entire family, and Sasuke wasn't even having any sort of break down being around him.

"Shikamaru,"

"Yes."

"Isn't there something that the old school Ninja love to say that involves not fighting unnecessary fights?"

"What do you mean?"

"Go home."

Shikamaru hesitated, but when he saw Itachi casually walking towards him, he ran. He managed a dead spring all the way home, the village had hardly missed him. Tch. So much for the 'will of fire' bringing them together as one family…

In the few days that followed, Shikamaru found himself on his porch everyday. Setting up a game of chess and staring at it for hours. It took a lot of thinking for him to realize that he was subconsciously waiting for Asuma to sit down across from him and move first.

He finally gave up on this impossible wish, and started playing against himself, but he quickly noted that whenever a game got particularly difficult he found him self wondering _'What would Sasuke do next?' _

He was especially caught up with a particular game when he felt eyes on him. He decided to ignore it, a lot of people had been staring at him lately. He waited for the mystery person to mumble something about how much he had changed, or how well he handled grief. But they didn't. They said something else entirely.

"Tch. I could win in five moves."

"What?" Shikamaru turned in shock at the all-too-familiar voice. At first he thought he had to be imagining it, but then he saw how beat up the raven was, and it almost made him want to cry.

"What happened to you?"

"Remember those three likely options?"

"Yes… either they press you for information, or they torture you, right?"

"Yep. Well, they decided on both."

"What did they _do_?" Shikamaru asked, trying desperately to force his emotions down as he studied Sasuke's scarred body. The man wasn't wearing a shirt, and there were deep scars on his arms and neck. His abdomen didn't seem to be mutated in any way, but Shikamaru gawked a little anyway. Sasuke's stomach was beautifully defined. It didn't have so many muscles as to be intimidating, but it definitely had enough to get a cock nice and hard. The strategist shook this thought out of his head. It was easy to do, once he saw Sasuke's signature cocky smirk.

"What's with the smirk, Uchiha?"

"You didn't listen to a word I just said. You stared at my body the whole time."

"You… you were talking?"

"It's okay, Shika. I know I'm sexy." Sasuke said with a wink.

"Shut up." Shikamaru growled. "Can we just play?"

"Yeah."

"So you want to play with me?"

"Yes."

"Why is that? Sick of playing with yourself?"

"Yeah… wait… no! Not like that?"

"Oh, so you just miss doing it with other people?"

"Are we still talking about chess?"

Sasuke smirked.

"Whatever else would I be talking about?"

"Forget it. Just sit down if you're going to play."

Sasuke smiled a little too nicely and sat across from Shikamaru. Shikamaru quickly noticed that Sasuke wasn't playing very smartly. He kept rushing his pieces forward blindly without using any sense of strategy.

"Sasuke what are you doing?"

"Playing chess."

"Why do you keep rushing your pieces in, are you even thinking about it?"

"Sometimes, I find it's best to just dive right in and go with the flow." Sasuke said, his friendly smile kind of turned devious for a second, but Shikamaru decided to ignore that.

"Maybe in life, or in friendship, but in _chess_?"

"Yeah. I say it's smart to just kill off the pawns and get to the damn good stuff already. Why beat around the bush? Pawns just get in the way of the actual goal… kind of like clothes."

"Can we _please _just keep this conversation focused on chess?"

"Of course. I'm just trying to compare it to something you can understand easily. You understand sex, right?"

"_Yes!_" Shikamaru hissed. "But that doesn't mean I want to talk about it all the time. Especially not with you!"

"Okay, Okay. I get it. You're a little fragile right now after Asu-"

"Shut up!" Shikamaru said, jumping to a stand and sending the chess board flying violently across the porch. Sasuke stared at him intently, his eyes showed… empathy? Shikamaru stormed into his house.

He soooo did _not _just see Sasuke showing some sort of affection for him, right? They were only friends and they weren't even _really _friends! But there was something in those eyes that he hadn't noticed before. Some sort of loss, some sort of pain. Was it possible that Sasuke was hurting just as much as he was?

What's hiding behind those deep onyx orbs?

**A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Can't wait to post the next one! Check out my poll and leave a review! I value your input. **

**Luv You!**

**-Beloved**


	3. Cunning

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

**A/N: So this chapter was mainly designed to get the plot going and give you guys a better idea of why I think Sasuke and Shikamaru can work as a pairing even though they have little to no interaction in the manga and show.**

**Enjoy!**

Shikamaru stepped out of his home quietly to clean up the mess of the chess board that he had left on the porch two or three hours earlier. He was shocked to see that Sasuke was still sitting on his porch, now playing himself at chess.

"You're still here?"

"No. I'm a figment of your imagination."

"Really?"

"Yes. Really."

"Your lying."

"Your right."

Shikamaru was starting to get a little too familiar with the smirk that was spreading across the Uchiha's face. This guy smirked a lot.

"So why are you still on my porch?"

"You never asked me to leave. It would be terribly insensitive to just leave you when you were so clearly… unsettled…by my comment. I'm sorry by the way, I know you probably don't want to hear this, but I do somewhat understand how you're feeling, and I understand how what I did might have come off as evil or something."

Shikamaru couldn't help but let a small smile grace his features.

"I don't think you're _evil. _Well… that's not exactly how I would word it…" Sasuke chuckled lightly.

"Let's just call a truce, okay?"

"Yeah. We could… you know… be… you know… or… whatever…" Shikamaru mumbled. Sasuke arched his eyebrow curiously and a smile spread across his face.

"Friends?"

"Er… yeah… That." Sasuke just gave the Nara a look that was a little too knowing for Shikamaru's taste, but he decided to just place that in the back of his mind and go back to that memory if it was of any use later. For now though, he would just not think about it.

"So, are you really that into chess?"

"Pardon?"

"It's been like three hours. Are you really into chess so much that you stayed here?"

"I must confess, my friend. I did leave you for a second to run over to the book store and get some reading material, but I was back very quickly. To answer your question, three hours of chess is easy, but if you had taken much longer I would have started reading. However, I've heard that _you _have sat here and played chess for far over three hours."

"Oh, well yeah. You know what they say. Practice makes-"

"Perfect. Yeah. Well, I'm already perfect, but I suppose a little practice couldn't hurt me either."

"Tch. Whatever. I'm sick of chess though. Let's put it away."

Sasuke smiled. It was a genuine smile, and although Shikamaru didn't know it then, he realizes now that getting that type of smile out of Sasuke Uchiha is actually quite an amazing skill. But at that point, he just looked at it with curious eyes, wondering if it was possible for anyone else to look that beautiful.

'_Whoa… I didn't really just think Sasuke was beautiful did I? … well he is…. Wait! no he's not! No men are beautiful… well then I guess that doesn't apply to this one because he's fucking gorgeous. NO HE IS NOT! SHUT UP YOU STUPID MIND! SHUT UP!_

His mind seemed to be listening to him at least for now, and it helped that Sasuke had turned slightly away from him, so that smile wasn't so dominant right now.

It took Sasuke a minute to realize that he was grinning like a fool, but when he did, he wiped the shameful smile off of his features immediately. It did make him happy though, he had realized a while ago that Shikamaru's obsessive tie to chess was really a hopeless attempt to hold on to Asuma. So the raven was glad to see the strategist let go, because in truth it represented a lot more than boredom. It made Sasuke think of the way that he had thrown himself into his training and isolated himself after the Uchiha Massacre. It had taken him a very long time to be able to think of the day without breaking, and even longer to be able to function around Itachi. But now he knew the truth about the life of Itachi Uchiha, and his reason's for being back in Konoha had a lot more to do with that than they did with being homesick.

Little did the villagers know, Sasuke Uchiha's return wasn't something for them to be looking forward to. In truth, Sasuke had a plan almost all on his own, with a little helping hand from his family of course. He wondered if Shikamaru would want to be 'friends' if he knew the truth behind the scars. But of course Shikamaru didn't know. The secrets Sasuke kept were the same that had been kept by his family forever, and he was not going to be the one to share them, no matter how much he cared for the man. And he did care, he cared a lot more than he should.

He found himself constantly having to make mental reminders that he couldn't let this guy distract him from his true goal. Shikamaru Nara would die by Sasuke Uchiha's hands. Just like everyone else in the village, it was something that couldn't be avoided. But first, he was going to have a little fun.

"Sasuke?"

"Hum?"

"What were you thinking about? You totally zoned out."

"Nothing that involves you directly." What? It's not exactly a lie.

"Whatever, so how about we play some Go or something?"

Sasuke smiled. "Still determined to have me beat you?"

"Tch. Whatever. I would _crush_ your little pale skinned-ass."

"I highly doubt that. I _always _end up on top."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "Are you capable of staying on the same subject without relating it to sex?"

"Yes, but I find that the presence of certain people makes me develop a one-track mind."

"Is that so? I'd assume you'd be a little more cunning about it."

"Oh? Why is that?"

"You just seem like the cunning type. And God knows your family was-… well… we don't have to talk about that if you don't want."

"It's fine, although some wounds never heal, they can be bandaged and after a while you hardly notice their presence. I'm curious to hear what you have to say. Please, go on."

"Uchiha's are known to be cunning. _Very _cunning, I still can't help but think sometimes that everything in your history was planned out somehow. You're all too brilliant for such misfortune to fall by pure coincidence."

"I figured you thought as much."

"Why?"

"You mentioned my uncle during our little altercation with the Akatsuki."

"Oh… right."

"That's classified Akatsuki information, you know. You're probably the only person in Konoha who knows that. So I can't help but be curious, how do _you _know that?"

"Oh, well I was thinking about the Massacre and all of that, and I decided that not only did it have to be an Uchiha, but that even Itachi couldn't have done it alone. So the only remaining solution was that another Uchiha helped Itachi to massacre his family, and I assume there is _some _loyalty amongst thieves, so I figured whoever helped Itachi with the Massacre would also supply a place for Itachi to flee to after words. And since we all know that Itachi ended up with the Akatsuki, I inferred that the person who helped him was in the Akatsuki. Most of the Uchiha direct family records are here in Konoha, so I pegged the mystery person as a distant uncle since he wasn't listed when I checked your family tree in the library. Of course, there was always the possibility that it was a woman, but I like to think of women as too compassionate to wipe out their loved ones."

Sasuke nodded along without much expression.

"Those are very intelligent conclusions Shikamaru. I admire your strategic thinking, it's truly amazing."

"Thank You. From what I've heard, you're pretty good with that type of thing yourself."

"Yes, and you were right before. I do tend to be quite cunning. You might want to watch your back around me."

"Why would you tell me that?"

"Honestly?"

"No I _want _you to lie. Yes honestly!"

"There's something going on right now that's a lot more important than either of us. I won't say more than that, except that I haven't decided whether or not I should kill you yet."

Shikamaru smirked, he had been suspecting that Sasuke was actually in league with the Akatsuki. Not because he didn't trust Sasuke (which he didn't, but that wasn't his reasoning for it) It was just that if the Akatsuki had wanted to hold them for questioning about Konoha, it didn't make since for them to try and eliminate someone who had been in Konoha all along. If the Akatsuki was really attacking, then Shikamaru was worth a lot more than Sasuke. None the less, he did smile a little.

"You won't kill me." Sasuke's face showed pure amusement.

"Why not?"

Shikamaru just smiled back at Sasuke's smirk. "I don't think I'll tell you."

Sasuke gave his companion a curt nod. He knew somewhere deep inside that Shikamaru was right. Sasuke wouldn't kill him, but he wasn't acknowledging that thought as of yet.

"So are you going to invite me inside?"

"huh?" Shikamaru asked (he had gotten caught up in his thoughts again- this time looking at Sasuke's eyes-)

"I said, are you going to ask me in, or am I simply to stay on your porch for all eternity?"

"Oh, sure you can come in." Sasuke followed Shikamaru into his home and up some stairs.

And so it began.

**A/N: Hmm… what a terrible place to end this chapter! Oh well though because this chappie has been written out to this point for over a week and I feel like I'm cheating you somehow by not posting it… anyway I expect reviews before I post the next one because I'm in a cruel mood.**

**Love you,**

**-Beloved**


	4. Kitty Cat

"You've got a nice place."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"What do you mean what does it mean? It means you've got a nice place."

"Well… thanks."

"You really need to stop over thinking everything, you know. It's okay to be brilliant, but you shouldn't always question everyone around you. Especially when the people around you are equal to your own mental capacity."

Shikamaru was slightly stunned. He hadn't expected to get so many words out of Sasuke, it was kind of a pleasant surprise, but he wasn't going to show that. He was starting to understand Sasuke a little more, and he knew that in the Uchiha's head, hesitation was a sign of weakness.

"Pretty words, Uchiha. But did you think to consider that maybe I'm not questioning you because I think you're stupid, maybe I'm just suspicious about having someone in my house who just told me they're considering taking my life."

"Tch. Whatever."

"So we're in agreement that you won't be killing me then?"

"I'm not going to make any promises until I'm completely sure that I can keep them, but I will try not to kill you unless you make it absolutely necessary, deal?"

"Sure. So is this the part where you let me in on your master plan?"

"No. That part doesn't happen. Ever. But I admire your optimism." Sasuke said with a smirk.

"Sure. So anyway… this is the bathroom. That's why we're up here, I figure it's always best to show people the bathroom first, that way it's easier to avoid the awkward 'where's the bathroom' conversation when someone really has to go…"

Sasuke laughed. "So here's what I just heard: Hello my name is Shikamaru Nara and I never go with the flow even when it comes to the bathroom needs of other people."

"Going with the flow, isn't smart. You seem like an intelligent enough person to know that."

"True, at times. But I have confidence that by the end of our journey together, you'll have learned that sometimes it's better to just tell your mind to shut up and let things play out whatever way fate intends."

"When is that _ever _a good idea?"

"Well…"

"You know what, I see where this is going, and I think it's time for us to go back downstairs."

Sasuke gently pushed Shikamaru into the wall, cornering him. Shikamaru just looked around crazily as if he didn't know what was going on, but they both knew that Sasuke had come at him with such pitiful force that he could have stopped it at any second. Why the man was feigning innocence was completely beyond the Uchiha, but he decided he didn't mind playing predator for a while.

"Sasuke… what… what are you d-doing?"

Sasuke smirked amusingly at the man.

"Not raping you, so you can put away that damsel in distress act and save it for a time when it's appropriate."

Shikamaru bit down on his lip. He could see in Sasuke's eyes that this whole thing they were doing right now was just an experiment. He could also _feel _that this wasn't the real deal, because the man whose body was pressed firmly against his was completely un-aroused.

"So if you're not raping me, then why do you have me pinned against the wall?"

Sasuke's response was to press his lips against the strategist. They were both surprised when Shikamaru's mouth opened willingly, and their tongues started dancing together. It took the Nara a full minute to understand what he was doing, but when he did he didn't stop.

He decided now was a good time to heed he new friend's advice, so he tried his very best to turn his brain off and focus on the feeling of his blood rushing downwards. Sasuke could apparently feel this too, because he pulled his lips away from Shikamaru's and smirked down at the man.

Pale white fingers reached down and traced Shikamaru's bulge with skill, touching and teasing with a natural ease that showed the strategist that Sasuke's time away from Konoha had not been wasted when it came to the sexual realm of things. He wondered how many people Sasuke had been through to move his hands like that… judging by the firmness, and precision of his movements-

"Stop thinking." Sasuke snapped, withdrawing his hand as a threat.

"Gomen." Shika mumbled thrusting slightly at the air to ask for the hand back without having to verbally make such an embarrassing request.

Sasuke considered torturing the man into making him speak aloud when he wanted something, but decided that the torture and games could wait for later, when he was more up to par. He was still un-aroused, but that was normal. It usually took him a while, when you've had as many people as Sasuke Uchiha, it all gets disgustingly boring.

The raven did decide however, that Shikamaru's pants were in the way, and he unbuttoned them and tossed them aside lightly, before continuing to palm his newfound lover through some very tight boxer-briefs. He liked the sight of the tight underclothes more than the trousers, but it still was only a six out of ten on the sexy-scale.

"Are you comfortable with me taking these off?" Sasuke asked. He had to repeat himself, because Shikamaru was getting caught up in the feeling of the pressure being so delightfully applied right where he needed it. When Sasuke finally got a reply out of the man, it was:

"Do what ever you want."

Sasuke smiled, thinking about how lucky this guy was that he wasn't in a sadistic mood at the moment. He pulled the offensive garment down to Shika's ankles.

Shikamaru purred audibly when he felt that rough hand firmly grasp the base of his cock. When Sasuke started to set a steady pace, he whimpered a little at each stroke.

Sasuke smiled to himself for two reasons. Firstly, he was finally starting to sand to attention if you catch my drift… but also because Shikamaru sounded quite lovely with all of his whimpering and mewling. His sounds resembled those of a cat.

"And what a strange little kitten you are…" Sasuke mumbled to himself. This did not go completely unheard by Shikamaru, but as the strategist felt his climax building faster he turned his mind completely off and within the same minute, he was submitting to his body in the best of ways.

Sasuke licked some of Shikamaru's cum off of his fingers and offered the rest to Shikamaru who gave him a repulsed glare in response.

"Not that kinky? That's understandable, I wasn't either… at first." Sasuke said, and finished off the last of Shikamaru's essence himself.

Shikamaru still wasn't thinking all the way, so the better part of his mind didn't stop him from saying what he was about to say.

"When are we going to do that again?"

Sasuke raised an amused eyebrow and leaned in to kiss his new lover softly.

"In due time, kitten. In due time."

A/N: Originally I had planned to hold the sexual stuffs off until later…. But uhh… yeah… Teh Heh… that plan didn't really work out, huh? Oh well, I'm not Shikamaru okay? My plan's aren't sexy and brilliant. Anyway, you guys blessed me with the reviews I asked for, so I blessed you with early lime. Did you enjoy? Good. Then tell me so in another review.

I love all the readers!

-Beloved


	5. Dreaming Of You

It had been hours since Sasuke had left the Nara residence, and Shikamaru still found himself licking his lips repeatedly, enjoying the taste of the man. He hadn't ever experienced this before – _lust_. He knew what it was. His parents had warned him about it.

He had noticed as Sasuke was leaving that he had been exposed, but not gotten the chance to see his lover's cock, which was quite the disappointment. He hadn't realized at first that he was currently housing a desire for the Uchiha, but it was three in the morning and he couldn't sleep without thinking about him. He was also a little afraid to submit to slumber, because he was confident that he would dream of Asuma. When he finally got to sleep anyway, he dreamed about something else entirely.

_I'm walking through a corridor, I can't find my way around but I seem to know where I'm going. Where is it? Where is it? Damn it! _

"_What an interesting little dream you're having."_

_I look up. Fuck! What the hell is Sasuke doing here… is he what I'm looking for? _

"_I can hear your thoughts, you know. It's really not smart to sleep with your eyes open. You should know better."_

_I'm sleeping with my eyes open? He must have used his sharingon to invade my mind… I wonder if his eyes have gotten as potent as his brothers yet… that wouldn't be good….._

"_No worries, Kitten. I won't do anything too cruel."_

_Kitten… I like that he calls me that… gosh I wish I had seen his cock earlier today, I bet it's beautiful._

"_It is."_

_What? So he really_ CAN _hear my thoughts… that's not good… I don't think I like that._

"_Hn. Well that's just too bad. This is a dream, so your thoughts aren't really thoughts, you're narrating what's happening because it's all occurring in your own head."_

_Sooooo does that mean that I'm still controlling everything?_

"_Uhh… well, everything except for me. But since it is your dream, I guess I could go along with what you want."_

_So we can do whatever I want to?_

"_Yes, as long as you remain asleep, your wish is my command."_

_My wish is for him to strip, but I don't really understand how this works… do I just think it at him? Hm… I guess not, it's already working._

_He slowly took off his shirt then smirked deliciously as he slipped his trousers and boxers off together in one full swoop. He stands confidently before me, clearly not ashamed of his nudity. _

"_Why should I be? I'm hot stuff."_

_He's right. He's fucking gorgeous, and he's not even aroused yet. Tch… yet. I'm going to make this worth my while though… I have this sudden urge to suck him off. Yeah, that did it, he's starting to get a little excited now, I guess he can probably see the mental image I'm having of sucking him off. I don't think I'd mind tasting him. _

"_Then by all means, go right ahead." He says. Oh right, I forgot he can still read my thoughts. I was going to walk closer to him, but this is a dream of course so as soon as I wanted to be in front of him, I was. _

"_So how much of this am I allowed to initiate?"_

_I look at him. I can tell that he is the type to want to be in control during this sort of thing, and I think that since I'm clearly the less experienced between the two of us, I might be okay with that. Not to mention… even in his barely-erect state, he was very well hung._

"_Well thank you."_

_So if you can already hear my thoughts, what happens if I actually speak aloud?_

"_I don't know if you can. It's your dream, only you can decide whether or not that's an option."_

"_So are you real?" Cool, so I can talk, well that's good. It makes this a little less awkward. I can tell that he's actually used to this whole 'invading peoples dreams' thing, and he seems to be getting kind of impatient with all of my questions._

"_That's not the case, I assure you."_

"_Then why are you being so squirmy?"_

_He smirks at me._

_I realize then that I'm being rather squirmy myself, and it's because for reasons I don't quite understand, there's some type of force in the air that is making it very difficult to be still… it's not chakra… what is it?_

"_It's called sexual tension. Haven't you ever experienced it before?"_

_It felt kind of like this in the hallway. But other than that no, I'm a virgin. Fuck! I didn't really want him to know that…_

"_What a silly little kitten you are." He says. Letting his eyes roam greedily up and down my naked body… WHOA! When did I get naked? Well then again, this is a dream. It's hard to remind myself of that, I want so desperately for it to be real…_

"_Well if it helps, I'm real. It's not like I won't remember this in the morning."_

_That's somewhat comforting… I almost let my mind wander but he rolls his eyes and I see his right hand twitch uncomfortably. He looks up at me, shocked that I would be so observant. I wonder why his hand twitched?_

"_You still didn't answer my question."_

"_What question?"_

"_The one inquiring how much you're okay with me initiating, I wouldn't want to take advantage of you while you're in such a vulnerable state of mind."_

_Oh, so he was stopping himself from touching me when his hand twitched._

"_Yes. So will you answer the question please?"_

_He seems kind of sadistic… yeah he just smirked, so that's a yes on the sadistic part… hmm… I shouldn't be able to feel the pain from a dream when I wake up though, right?_

"_Right." I can tell he's starting to like where this is going. And I _AM _desperately hard now… I guess I'll just let him do whatever he thinks will be fun for all._

"_Are you sure?" He asks. I can tell by the impatient look on his face that he's only asking because he feels he has to, he wants this. That's good._

"_Yes, I'm sure."_

_Before the last to words had left my mouth he was tackling me onto a bed that had suddenly appeared under us. Hmm… I guess my subconscious had demanded a more romantic setting than that corridor. He chuckled and took a second to look around the room that we were in. It was pretty and quaint, with big windows and a comfortable bed that was clearly the focal point of all the windows._

"_Someone likes doing it in public, huh?"_

_What's he talking about now…_

"_I'm not going to lie to you, I've been in a lot of sex dreams, we're talking bedrooms, closets, bathrooms, kitchen counters… but usually there aren't any windows. Especially not this big, I think that subconsciously you want to be caught or something, or your ideal sexual venue wouldn't be so open."_

_That may be possible, but I don't feel like thinking about that right now. My dreams are supposed to be the one place I'm NOT analyzing everything._

"_Fair enough." He says to himself before getting to work on sucking at my neck… that feels really good. He didn't do that last time. I can't help it when the whimpers and moans start to slip from my mouth. I didn't even know that being stimulated in such a strange place would have this effect on me but… damn… _

_I can feel his contentment somehow, maybe that's because it's my dream, maybe my body is just extremely in touch with his. Either way, as his wondering hands and mouth get more bold and my moans increase in frequency and volume, I can feel him begin to elate. He likes that I can tell he's happy. He reaches down and grabs hold of my shaft, just like he had during the day. It feels twice as amazing, and I choke out a throaty gasp, and manage to produce a sound that I've never heard before when he started slowly pumping my length._

_I feel his cock spasm as the sounds I'm making. So he likes it, huh?_

"_Yes, I do." He whispers huskily into my ear before giving it a terse lick and sucking at it gently. THAT feels a hella lot more arousing than I expected it would. He chuckles lightly at my mental realization, then starts working that talented mouth of his back down my neck and lower... lower...lower... He stops to suck firmly at my right nipple. I suddenly realize that this is doubly as intoxicating as any sort of substance I'd managed to sample during the 'experimenting' stage of my adolescence. _

_I could lie here under this man being sucked at for the rest of eternity, and probably a little longer than that. I can feel his smirk as he hears what I'm thinking, but I don't care. It feels too good to be embarrassed. My mind shuts off when he finally reaches his goal. His mouth secures itself tightly over the head of my manhood, and it takes me a full thirty-seconds to realize that I'm moaning his name like a whore. I feel him groan around my phallus and the vibrations are so amazing they almost sent me over the edge. Almost. _

_What actually ended up doing it was when I felt him come up and his tongue dipped deliciously into the slit of my cock. I think he was expecting it though, because he tightened his mouth around me instead of backing away. I didn't want him to swallow it all, I want to see it happen. He raises an eyebrow, but complies anyway and sits up, coaxing my semen out with his hand instead. It felt just as good, I assure you. I explode all over my own stomach and chest. His eyes roll back a little and I can tell that he enjoyed that almost as much as I did. _

_Sasuke starts lapping up the pleasure puddle on my stomach and I delight in hearing him moan slightly at the taste. If the stuff tastes that good, then I want some after all._

"_Here," He says, spooning some onto his finger and offering it for me to suck. I accept eagerly, without hesitation, it tastes like Mackerel. _

"_That's interesting." Why would that be interesting? It's my dream, and it's a good one, so it's no surprise that whatever I eat would taste like my favourite food. _

"_To me it tastes like my favourite food, which is not the same as yours."_

_So I want us both to be happy in this dream, eh? How considerate of me._

"_Indeed." He says. I know he didn't come yet and that's a little unfair of me, but this is my dream. I'll deal with his needs after I wake up._

"_Thank you for noticing." He says before relaxing onto the bed. He get's himself comfortable then kisses my forehead lightly, pulling me into him. _

"_Goodnight Kitten." Is the last thing he says before it all disappears, and I have to remind myself again that it was all just a dream._

**A/N: Well.. emm… did you like it? I hope you did…. Anyway, please review, I was nice by updating this nice and quickly, so please return the favor with a juicy review. **

**I love you**

**-Beloved**


	6. Lonely

**Disclaimer: Still don't own the smex… **

**A/N: Okay so I know it's been days after forever since I updated this, and although I would be glad to make up an excuse, your not my parents so why waste the time! However, since this is the 'Monday' fic for my new schedule, I went on and wrote it today xD (It's a Monday right now as I'm writing this…) Anyway, **

**Enjoy!**

Shikamaru blinked his eyes open slowly, taking in the world around him, he was in his room, in his bed. That much was normal. His legs were sticky, that also made sense, considering his dream last night; but where was Sasuke?

The Nara pulled himself out of bed and went straight to the shower. He briefly considered the idea of masturbation, but after thinking about it he decided that he didn't have time for such foolishness if he was going to get on with his day. So he quickly grabbed a towel off of the rack and wrapped it around his waist. He bumped directly into his father as he walked out of the bathroom.

"Scuse Me." He mumbled quickly, it was an automatic response, then he remembered something.

"Pop?"

"Yes?" His father asked curiously, clearly wondering how a child that was so brilliant managed to be in enough of a haze to walk right into someone.

"Did you see anyone wondering around the house this morning?"

"No."

"In the middle of the night then?"

"Nooo…"

"Was there perhaps a thud, as if someone had jumped out of my window?"

"No, Shikamaru, why are you-"

"How about any sexual sounds coming from my room in the night?"

"Son, we've already had the talk quite a few years ago. I've learned not to ask questions if I hear those types of sounds from your room."

"But did you or not?"

"Honestly, I don't recall hearing anything. I slept more peacefully than I have in a long while. Why? Has something been tampered with?"

"No… I just… It's nothing."

"Wet dreams?"

"…I guess." Shikamaru said awkwardly.

"Son, you _can _tell the difference between dreams and reality, can't you?"

Shikamaru lowered his eyes shamefully. "I don't know anymore."

His father frowned. "Well I need to get to work, but let me know if it get's worse. Okay?"

"Alright."

"I'm serious, don't get lazy and forget to tell me!"

"I won't." Shikamaru said will a roll of the eye as his father disappeared in a flash.

He had just finished getting dressed when the doorbell rang, so he went to get it.

An all-too-familiar looking Raven was standing at his doorway smirking. Shikamaru froze.

"H-Hello…" He stuttered out. Sasuke grinned toothily.

"Cat got your tongue?" He said mockingly.

Shikamaru's mind was working at an unnatural speed to try and figure out how likely it was that he and Sasuke had actually done what he thought they had done last night. However, he kept coming to the same conclusion, there was only one way to find out. He had to be the king of awkward and _ask._

"Em… Sasuke… did… did we…. Ummm… did you… were you…."

As the strategist continued to ramble on without ever actually asking the question, Sasuke stepped by him and sat down on the couch. He crossed his hands behind his head and kicked his legs up onto the coffee table.

"Spit it out already."

"Well….. uhhh… it's kind of awkward…"

"You really are just about the most absurd kitten I've ever come across."

"Did you walk into my dream last night and get me off?"

Sasuke raised his eyes in feigned curiosity.

"That _is _a strange question, isn't it?"

"Could you just _answer _it please?"

"Which part?"

"What do you mean which part?"

"The dream part or the suck you off part?"

"Both!"

"Fine, fine. Enough games then, yes what we did last night really happened, I told you that it was real already in the dream, remember?"

"Yeah, but that was _in _the dream, it could have been fake!"

"Did you wake up with cum in your pants?"

"Yes, but-"

"That wasn't confirmation enough for you?"

"Well I woke up _alone_!"

Sasuke immediately silenced. He again had a face of curiosity, but this time it was genuine. He got up and just stood in thought for a moment before Shikamaru spoke.

"Sasuke, I didn't mean to yell, I'm so-"

"Tell me, would you have preferred me to stay?"

"What?"

"If you were to choose, would you have wanted not to wake up alone this morning?"

"Yes… No…. I don't know… it's…. it's…"

"Troublesome?"

Shikamaru smirked. "Yes. That's exactly what it is. It's a troublesome drag of a situation."

Sasuke laughed. "I think it's a pretty simple question to answer. If your having such a debate over it then it's probably a yes."

"Why do you say that?"

"Has it ever been hard for you to request solitude before?"

"No."

"Then if you know you don't hesitate to want to be alone, and you're hesitating now, you must not want to be alone."

Shikamaru frowned. The most troublesome thing about the Uchiha's statement was that is was true. Shikamaru wanted desperately not to be alone anymore, he just wasn't yet ready to accept that he'd really found someone other than Asuma who he didn't mind being around. What did that mean? What did it mean to not want to be alone all of the time?

"Don't think about it, Kitten…" Sasuke said, walking up to the Nara slowly, then showing no hesitation at all as he leaned in and pressed their lips together. "… _feel _it."

Shikamaru was finally starting to understand. The need for company wasn't something that could be thought about, decided, planned or avoided. He was lonely. It was an emotion. A simple emotion, that he didn't understand all the way yet, but he was definitely feeling it in the worst of ways. He felt lonely, empty, dry. He was a corpse, he was broken, and it hurt. When the pain struck him he would have hit the floor face first, had Sasuke not been there.

The tears came next, shortly followed by the screams. Sasuke just sighed, he had been waiting for the poor kid to break, it was long overdue. He lifted his lover into his arms and carried him up the steps to the bed he had been sleeping in not so long ago.

Shikamaru shook and sobbed for hours, thinking about Asuma, thinking about death, thinking about loss, thinking about all the things that he had never given himself time to think about before. He leaned down into his pillows, and as the tears got dryer and the screams got softer he found himself calm enough to sleep. When he spoke, his voice was so horse he hardly recognized it, but he said what he had to say anyhow.

"Sasuke,"

"Hn."

"Thank You."

"Hn."

"…Sasuke,"

"Yes, Kitten?"

"When I wake up… I don't want to be alone."

**A/N: I don't care for this chapter too much, but yeah… anywho, hope you enjoyed it. Please review. **

**I love all the readers!**

**-Beloved**


	7. Itachi

**A/N: I'm actually going to be thoroughly surprised if anyone still remembers this fic enough to realize that it's been updated... but if you HAVE made it here...**

**Enjoy!**

"You seem to be quite distracted from your goal, Otouto."

Sasuke lazily looked up at the Shadow Clone of Itachi that had just climbed through Shikamaru's window. It was a shame, the man was sleeping so silently that if the real Itachi had come to kill him he'd have been dead already. Luckily for Shikamaru, though, Sasuke was still awake- and more importantly, Itachi would never harm a citizen of Konoha.

"Are you mocking me, Ita-Nii?"

"No. I'm still trying to dissuade you and Madara from doing what you're planning to do."

Sasuke closed his eyes in thought. "It's all for you, Aniki. Why is it that you continue to stand in the way?"

"Don't dishonour my name in that way. It was never my intention for Konoha to fall. I've chosen my own path, I don't need you and Madara coming back here and canceling out all of the good things I've done for this village."

"This village destroyed our lives, Itachi!" Sasuke said loudly, Shikamaru didn't even stir... which Itachi took as a good sign, and Sasuke knowingly took to mean that in truth the Strategist was awake. No matter. He could be dealt with at a later time.

"No, Sasuke. _I _destroyed _my _life _for _the village. It was my choice, and I stand by it. The village has done nothing to you personally. If you're really doing this for my sake, then _please. _I'm begging of you... don't. If things continue the way they're planned then I will stand against you in battle."

"What! I thought you weren't getting involved!"

"Did you really think I'd let Konoha stand alone against the Akatsuki? After all the blood I've already shed, that would be a waste of my efforts. Just as letting you live was apparently a waste of my efforts. So tell me then, Otouto- will you stand and fight, with me as your opponent?"

Sasuke stilled. If he fought Itachi, Madara would take his side, and Itachi would die. He was strong, but not strong enough to take on Sasuke and Madara together. If he fought _with _Itachi, Itachi would surely die trying to protect Sasuke from Madara -who wouldn't hesitate to kill either of them-. So if Itachi was going to fight for Konoha's side... Sasuke's only real choice was not to fight at all.

"No. You'll die if I do."

"That is true." Itachi said nonchalantly.

"I won't fight then."

Itachi smirked. That had gone _exactly _as he'd planned it to. "Good. Then I won't either."

Sasuke frowned. "I guess that means we'll have to leave then..."

"I'm coming with you." Shikamaru said. He'd expected to surprise them, but Sasuke had already inferred that he was awake, and Itachi was damn near impossible to surprise.

"Well, Otouto- I need to get back to my real body now, it's much too far away for me to stay here long. I'll send someone to pick you and your boyfriend up within the next week."

"Hey! I'm not his-" But the Itachi-Clone was already gone, and didn't hear Shikamaru's words.

Shika frowned and turned towards Sasuke. "When I said that I didn't want to wake up alone I meant that I wanted _you _hear, not your whole family."

Sasuke simply kissed his lover lightly on the lips. "Don't be silly, Neko-Chan. If my whole family was here you'd be dead." Sasuke said with a lightly happy tone. It was odd to hear such a morbid statement almost sung out that way.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "Neko-Chan? Hn. Well I have to go use the litter box, get off of me."

Sasuke laughed and got up from bed, stretching and looking around the room as Shikamaru exited.

He made the bed and started the search for a suitcase. Knowing Itachi "sometime within the next week" could mean sometime within the next hour. They had to be ready.

Surely enough- just as they'd both finished packing up a suitcase for Shikamaru (Sasuke didn't require one, as Itachi had a great deal of clothes for both of them already) Another Itachi clone came in through the window.

"I have a door." Shikamaru commented plainly.

"I'm Itachi Uchiha, I can't just walk into Konoha and knock on someone's front door."

"Oh... right." _Why am I not scared shitless of this guy, again?_

"Ready to go, Aniki?" Sasuke asked. Itachi nodded and they were off.

The trip was long and the weather wasn't pleasant, but they made it through. Shikamaru kept curiously eyeballing Itachi, and Sasuke kept hungrily eyeballing Shikamaru. Itachi was painfully aware of both things and found it very distracting, but said nothing of it. It was good that Sasuke had found someone to sort of settle down with.

In all his knowledge of his younger brother, Itachi knew the boy to have a great deal of sexual partners- but that morning had been the first time he'd actually seen Sasuke with someone sleeping in his arms. It was a sweet sight.

They traveled on for several days, running at times, and sometimes taking a more leisurely pace, but never speaking.

"Here." Itachi said, stopping short.

Sasuke peered around. "What about here? We're on the edges of Sunagakure."

"I'm leaving you two here."

"What? Why?" Shikamaru asked.

"You won't need to be involved with the fight in Konoha from this distance, and you also won't be tracked as rogue-ninja if you reside in another hidden village. I have enough to worry about already without having to travel with two teenagers who're fresh in the bingo book."

"Hn." Sasuke said, and he left his brother to run on into Suna with Shikamaru closely behind him.

"You two must not be very close..." Shikamaru mused.

"What makes you say that?" Sasuke asked in an amused tone.

"You left him behind so easily."

"My brother and I are... strange brothers. He'll always be there for me, in his own way. That's what big brother's are for- after all." Sasuke said with a smirk, remembering that his brother had explained that to him at a very young age. _I wonder if Itachi knows that I remember that?_

As they approached the city Sasuke started realizing that they had nowhere to stay. As if he was reading his mind, Shikamaru spoke.

"I'm close friends with the Kazekage's sister. They'll find board for us."

Sasuke nodded. That was convenient news. It seemed that at least for that day, everything was going to be alright.

**A/N: Yes. Itachi is in this fic. Why? Because I didn't have the strength to do it without him. This chapter is REALLY short... but... it's here. And since it's been like 7 months since I updated, I'm quite proud of me for writing this chap at all...**

**please review if you're so inclined. also, TAKE MY POLL!**

**I love you for reading (especially if you've just read this extremely overdue chapter)**

**-Beloved**


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